Taking the Long Way
by SilverTurtle
Summary: Layla has done some pretty terrible things to other wrestlers in the past. But she's a face now and it's time to make amends...no matter how much it might hurt.


_**A/N: **This is a fic written for the birthday of my good friend Lodylodylody. I made her give me a prompt (Word: inevitable, Character(s): Beth/Layla) and this is the fic resulting from that. Please enjoy._

*****'*****

**TAKING THE LONG WAY**

When she stepped into the ring that night it felt like an inevitability. After having defeated Michelle McCool and sending her into retirement Layla was set on a new career path. Having recovered from the injury she sustained later on, and having had a complete change in attitude in how she wanted to deal with her opponents, she now had to get into the ring and face the one person she and Michelle had victimized most: Beth Phoenix.

This was always what was meant to happen, facing off against Beth as a solo wrestler, she'd just hoped she'd have more time to prepare. Alas, that was not in the cards for her and her first match back happened to be against the most intimidating wrestler Layla had faced. Even Kharma couldn't hold a candle to Beth in Layla's estimation.

Was it wrong to hope for the best? Maybe, but it wouldn't stop her.

She'd been watching the matches while she healed. She'd seen when Beth had turned on Kelly Kelly. She knew Beth was no longer the good girl face she'd been before. Beth had turned heel. All that power and strength now to be used without restraint and it was Layla's turn to feel how brutal Beth could be when she wasn't playing nice.

Beth stood tall and proud beside the referee, taunting Layla as she made her way down the ramp.

"Come on, little crumpet," Beth called mockingly into her microphone, turning the announcer's nickname for her into a sneer, "I'm going to enjoy breaking you in half."

Layla swallowed down her dread and pulled herself into the ring. Forgoing her usual posing and posturing she instead claimed a microphone and faced Beth head on. "Before we get started, Beth, there's something I have to say," the crowd, usually vehement in their desire to shut her up, went quiet and waited for her to speak.

Beth rolled her eyes and growled into her mic, "So talk. But do it fast. I've got better things to do than listen to you screech," she turned a nasty grin on Layla, "Like making you scream." The spectators gave that their enthusiastic approval.

Taking that for the threat it was Layla took a step back, to get out of Beth's immediate reach, and lifted her mic to say her piece. "You all know me," she began, talking over the muttering of the audience, walking around the edge of the ring as she spoke, "likely you hate me for a variety of reasons. I've never given anyone a reason to feel any differently about me. I've done a lot of things in this ring that I'm not proud of, not anymore." She paused and looked to the mat, gathering herself before facing Beth again, "Most of the worst of that was done to you, Beth. My behavior towards you when I was partnered with Michelle was reprehensible. I was awful to you. I was awful to everyone and you got the worst of it. But I'm a different person now. I've changed. I've realized the errors of my ways and I know I can't expect anything from you but contempt and loathing. Even so, I want to apologize," there was a low hum of surprise, even Beth looked a little stunned. Layla gripped her mic a little harder as she took a tentative step closer to Beth, standing as tall as she could though her knees felt like they'd gone to jelly, "This is an apology I need to make to everyone; crowd, announcers, and opponents alike. But you're the one who really needs to hear it, Beth. For what I said, for what I did, for all the terrible ways I behaved towards you," she briefly paused again, everyone hanging on her every word, "I'm sorry."

Beth's eyes went wide while the crowd broke into excited chatter. She bared her teeth at Layla, her face a mask of fury, and lifted her own mic to her lips to rumble, "And you think that makes it all better?" The audience went quiet again, waiting. "You think that just because you say you're sorry that it's going to make all the pain you caused disappear? Newsflash, poppet," she spat, "it doesn't."

Layla was quick to interject, "I know. And I don't expect it to. But I needed to show you, all of you, that I'm not that same person anymore. I know what I did was wrong and-"

"And we don't care!" Beth roared. She stalked around the ring, her free hand cutting the air in harsh gestures, "There is nothing, _nothing_, you can do or say to make me forgive you. Don't think I don't see through your little ploy here." Beth smirked at Layla, prowling up close to menace her, "I have you all figured out. You're all alone now, Layla. There's no one to back you up. No one to cheat for you. You're all by yourself against a roster of women who're just itching to tear you apart. Well, guess what?" she laughed meanly, "This little apology isn't going to make a single one of us forget what you've done or go easy on you. We remember the name calling, the cheating, the undeserved titles you held, and we're going to make you pay for every little bit of it. And lucky me," she put her hand to her chest as she chuckled, "I get to take the first shot."

With no more warning than that Beth dropped her mic and lashed out at Layla, catching her a vicious blow to the jaw which sent her sprawling to the mat. Layla's mic skittered across the ring and toppled out the other side. The audience thundered approval of the action finally getting started. The ref hurriedly backed out of the way of the enraged Glamazon and signaled the bell to ring and begin the match.

Layla, knocked for a loop, crawled up to her knees and managed to get her feet beneath her to stand. She turned and dodged another swipe from Beth, ducking beneath the woman's arm to face her in the center of the ring. Beth came at her and they locked in a grapple, Layla holding her own for several long seconds before Beth's sheer brute strength forced her to a knee. Layla twisted her body unexpectedly, breaking Beth's hold, and she somersaulted out of the way. Beth charged again and Layla attempted to kick her in the stomach. Beth caught her foot and yanked, sending Layla off balance, then she shoved which flattened Layla's back against the mat. Layla lay there trying to get air back into her lungs Beth didn't give her any time to recover and landed an elbow drop on her chest.

When Beth rose out of that to get a better hold on her Layla curled up and rolled over several times to get away, hoping the distance would give her time to recover. She managed to get herself to the ropes and pull herself up, one arm hooked protectively over her now aching ribs. She heard Beth charging and quickly spun out of the way. Beth crashed into the ropes and bounced back with force. Layla took advantage and while Beth was still catching her balance Layla jumped and dropkicked her taller opponent. Both feet striking Beth and sending her to the mat while Layla caught herself and landed safely. Scrambling quickly to her feet and over to Beth, hoping to get a swift pin, she hooked one of Beth's legs and pulled it up for a cover. Before the ref could count to two Beth had kicked out. Layla hurriedly got up and out of Beth's reach. She waited, light on her feet, for Beth to rise.

And rise Beth did with a speed that caught Layla off guard. The Glamazon rushed Layla, Layla rushed back, and they crashed into each other with a meaty thud. Beth, who was larger and had more momentum, toppled Layla over and slammed down on top of her as they landed. She caught Layla's leg and rolled into a cover position. The ref counted two and was about to bring his hand down for a third and final slap when Layla kicked out. Beth got up but didn't release Layla's leg, instead putting it into an ankle lock. Layla writhed trying to get out of it, her face contorted in pain. Beth held fast and put more pressure on the abused limb, laughing as she watched Layla struggle. The ref warned Beth about holding that for too long, but Beth brushed him off. Layla twisted and turned trying to get free. Somehow she ended up turned completely around, facing the mat with her arms underneath her. Beth was content to keep twisting her ankle and watching her suffer, but the new position had given Layla an idea. Bracing her arms underneath her and straightening her free leg she shoved up with her arms and kicked, her boot managing to strike Beth in the chin and forcing her to release the lock. Beth stumbled back while Layla's leg thumped onto the mat.

Beth licked a tiny bit of blood from the corner of her lip and rolled her head on her shoulders as she watched Layla stagger upright. Knowing Layla wouldn't be able to move quickly with her leg still smarting Beth sauntered over and lifted Layla above her head with ease. She played to the crowd a little by repeatedly pressing Layla above her head as though she were a weight bar then she threw Layla to the mat, a gorilla press drop. The smaller woman landed face first on the mat and lay there senseless. Beth casually turned Layla onto her back so she could pull her into a cloverleaf. She pulled on Layla's legs, adding pressure, as she heard Layla groan in pain she smiled and added even more pressure. But she'd forgotten how close to the ropes her press drop had landed them because a moment later the ref was pulling her of Layla whose hand was wrapped around the bottom rope.

Layla used the ropes to pull herself up once again. She was exhausted and everything hurt but she would keep going, keep fighting until she couldn't anymore. She spun around and charged Beth. She ducked under the arm Beth attempted a clothesline with and instead latched onto Beth's back and put a chokehold on her. Beth's easy solution was to lean forward, pull Layla's feet off the ground, and simply fall onto her back and use her weight to crush Layla beneath her. Beth rolled off Layla but before she could grab onto the smaller woman Layla had rolled swiftly in the opposite direction and risen to her feet.

Beth decided enough was enough and charged Layla once more, knowing the woman was tired and likely wouldn't be able to do much to stop her. Layla unexpectedly stepped into the charge and turned her back and as Beth crashed into her Layla pulled off a snapmare and flipped Beth onto her back, her own momentum providing all the force to drive the air from her lungs. Layla covered Beth and held her leg tight while the ref counted. One, two, and Beth kicked out.

Layla forced herself to her feet again, frustrated and exhausted she mistakenly turned her back on Beth. Taking full advantage Beth surged to her feet and locked Layla up in air for a Glam Slam. She held Layla there, forcing the dread to build and enjoying the screaming protests Layla made, and when she'd had enough of holding Layla up she slammed her down. Wasting no more time Beth covered Layla and counted with the ref as he called out one, two, and three.

Layla came to her senses at the opening notes of Beth's theme music blasting through the arena. She rolled onto her side and saw the ref holding Beth's arm in the air. She'd lost. Badly. But at least she'd done it honestly. She knew she'd have to take a few knocks to get her fresh start, and this loss was part of her penance.

Beth signaled for a mic to be handed to her and once she had it she turned to address a still sprawled Layla. "This is just the beginning. I'm just the first in a long line of ladies who have a bone to pick with you. You're alone here, little Layla." She punctuated her words with hard kicks to Layla's midsection, "All alone. No one will help you." She knelt and bent over to look Layla in the eyes, "After what you've done I can guarantee that every one of us is going to enjoy every moment of putting you in your place. This was just the start. I promise you, _poppet_, we are going to crush you." With those words echoing all around Beth dropped her mic, slid out of the ring, and stalked up the ramp leaving behind a shaking and thoroughly defeated Layla.

Layla slowly rolled out of the ring, the announcers and crowd having already moved on to the next entertainment, and silently made her way up the ramp. She curled her arm protectively around her bruised ribs and sucked in a deep breath. She had a long road ahead of her and Beth was right, this was just the beginning.

**THE END**

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_**A/N:** So, yeah, happy birthday!_


End file.
